Dreamblood
by Kender Bard
Summary: A Kender Goddess story. After the ascension of Dreamflight and Tas to godhood, their three children are left to get along in the world without them. All seems to be going well, until Chaos's curse strikes its first victim.
1. Chapter I: Good News

Dreamblood

Loki Burrfoot, youngest child of the renowned Tasslehoff Burrfoot, kicked up piles of fallen leaves while he walked. The kender bard could have chosen a more luxurious method of travel from Qualinesti, but none would have been as satisfying as kender tradition of wandering.

"Except maybe riding on a dragon," he mused. "That'd be fun and impressive." He let his mind dance around the idea. After a pause, he added aloud to himself, "Are there kender-sized dragons?"" The thought was cleared from his mind abruptly as he saw Palanthas in the distance. With a mile wide grin, he gave a little skip of elation and strode forward at a renewed pace.

Loki was on a trip to visit his eldest sibling, Firespice, who held the prestigious job as one of the city guards in Palanthas. Of course, the only reason he owned that title was because of his ability to get into anywhere and find out anything. He was also allowed to search people for hidden weapons and things, but the elder kender considered this detail more of a perk than a burden.

Firespice had been thrilled to hear how his siblings faired in the last letter Loki had penned to him. After their initial separation, Loki quickly finished his bardic lessons with his elven tutor, Vansal. A full fledged bard, Loki had promised his friend and teacher he would visit again and together they could perform in Vansal's homeland, but he had to see his siblings. Setting off for Solace, Loki found word that his sister traveled abroad these days – not a cleric of any holy order, though she still strived to find the one for her – but using her innate celestial gifts to heal both body and soul in her travels. While on the path to Palanthas, where he was sure Firespice still was, he had the fortune to bump into Crentha on the road. The two had a merry reunion, and shared many tales. Crentha invited Loki to come with her, for together they could only enhance each other's ability; the siblings shared a bond that seemed to strengthen one another when in each other's presence. Confident he would see Firespice at another time, Loki agreed and off brother bard and sister cleric went. They wandered the roads, visiting places both good and bad, bringing song and joy to the hearts of any who would hear their songs and stories. In time, Crentha had met another priest like herself. He was a priest of Paladine, having found his god, but enjoyed travel of the road to help others in farther corners of the road. Bearing a special love of kender, unlike most humans, Perin had been more than happy to accompany the duo. With the passage of time, the relationship between the two worshippers bloomed and flourished, and they courted.

The bardic kender was going to Firespice, now, to bring news of their sister, Crentha, and her recent wedding to a human priest. Loki found it odd that his elder sister would find love outside of their race, but he held no ill will towards her for it or to her new husband. He knew Firespice would probably tease Crentha until she went mad, but it was all in the name of sibling love. In truth, Loki was thrilled that his flighty, romantic sister had chosen someone who would keep her safe on her life's travels.

Smiling to himself with those heartwarming thoughts, Loki pratically skipped the last mile up to the gates of Palanthas. Even as the two guards on duty barred his entry, his smile did not wane.

"No kender," one replied curtly, with a glare as he almost eagerly poked his sword at Loki. Loki tilted his head, an impish smile growing on his face as the second guard echoed the same words.

"Not even famous ones?" he inquired, half sincere, half mockingly. The two guards snorted at that. Loki frowned and crossed his arms, sizing up the two guards, measuring what he could from them. Eventually, he pointed to the first guard and declared, "You must be Winster Mycloff. The one that likes to bully folks at the gate when you've had a particularly bad day." As the first guard blinked a few times, caught off balance, the second guard fidgeted nervously as Loki continued, "And you're Derkin Oferhal – the one that really wishes he could get of gate duty because that's for rookies, so if you act bored enough you might just get your wish."

"How in the Abyss did you know that?" the first guard, Winster, blustered once he'd gotten his bearings back.

Loki couldn't repress his smug grin, "Oh my brother has told me about all the guards in his letters. I feel as if I know you all almost as intimately as he does."

"The Burrfoot?" Derkin mused. "You're related to him?"

"I'm his brother," Loki replied with a touch of pride. The two guards exchanged glances. "I'm here on invitation by him to discuss family matters." Before the exchange could go further, though, a third guard who was coming to relieve Derkin of duty stopped in open-mouthed astonishment.

"It's Loki Burrfoot!" he exclaimed excitedly. "The kender bard!"

"A fan!" Loki squealed in delight, even as Derkin and Winston were beginning to look caught somewhere between embarrassment and bewilderment. The third guard squeezed past them to shake Loki's hand and usher him in the gates, gushing about how he'd gotten to witness a performance while visiting the Qualinesti. Loki chattered happily, regaling the young recruit with fanciful tales of the elves and their homeland, all while Winston and Derkin remained staring, wondering how things had gotten to the point that kender could be famous for anything other than thieving.

The halls of the barracks were dimly lit. The sun had not set enough to light the candles placed in niches in the walls, but it had set enough for its rays to only be barely adequate for sight. Loki decided it would be a good time of day for picking a spot to daydream while waiting for his brother and watching the sunset – a fond part of the day he'd grown accustomed to while in the company of the elves. Even as he thought this, he began letting his mind wander as he walked; while in a near trance-like state, visions of color danced before his eyes. The young kender had once told his sister that he could see the essence of music during these times. Crentha had laughed and told him he was seeing something even more profound, a heritage gift from their goddess mother – the essence of creation. 'The same thing,' Loki had quipped with a shrug.

A pair of hands clapped onto his shoulders suddenly, shattering the visions and startling him. Loki spun on his heel and threw out a fist reflexively, the blow connecting solidly with the person behind him. His assailant hit the ground with a solid thud and grunt. Loki blinked once to shake off the adrenaline, then again as he recognized it was a fellow kender sprawled on the floor. "Firespice?"

With a groan, the lender kender sat up, tenderly massaging his jaw. "Geez, I didn't think I would ever see the day my baby brother would deck me." Loki grinned gleefully, tackling his brother flat to the ground again in an enthusiastic hug, bringing up another grunt.

"Brother!" he squealed above Firespice's groan. "It's so good to see you! Sorry about hitting you; you shouldn't have startled me like that. Are you okay?"

Playfully shoving Loki aside, though none too gently, Firespice got up and dusted his tunic off. "I'll be okay," he assured Loki. "Come on, get up. Let me get a good look at you." Grinning so wide he felt his face would split, Loki stood and let his brother walk in a slow circle around him, inspecting with a sharpened eye for details that had only grown more keen over the years. "You've grown." It was a lie, but Loki giggled anyway. "Living with the elves so long has nearly turned you into one!" The elder kender mocked a horrified look at the prospect, but his face melted into a soft smile. "Ah, well, I hear the ladies adore elves so at least you won't be lonely while you sit and sing songs to the trees."

"And what about you?" Loki countered with a chuckle. "Is it true that women like men in uniforms with battle scars?"

Firespice stroked his chin in contemplation. "I couldn't say, I have no scars yet. Personally I think that says more about my battle prowess than if I were covered in them, don't you agree?" The two brothers shared a prolong laugh at that, aglow with the joy of being together again. To Loki, it was as if he were looking at a younger version of his father all over again. And to Firespice, it was like listening to lighthearted speech of his mother; albeit a bit masculine.

The younger sibling's face grew more serious as he inquired how Firespice's treatment was going amongst the human soldiers.

"Be at ease," Firespice soothed. "They might not see me as their equal, but I've done enough fair share of work that I won't be harassed." Loki relaxed, his smile easing back into the comfortable grin. At even a word of mistreatment, the bard had been ready to go around and pick a bone or two. With a conspiratory wink, Firespice leaned closer to Loki and added, "Besides, the guys think teasing me is bad luck."

Loki chuckled softly, "Oh?"

"Interesting accidents have occurred," Firespice giggled, his voice dropping into a hushed whisper. "One day they swiped my clothes and stuffed them at the top of a tree. I had to shimmy up there, in winter no less, with only my underpants on!" Loki giggled madly at that as Firespice blushed bright red at the memory, right to the tips of his ears. "That same day, they all got a surprise from the sky when a flock of seagulls passed overhead. Marvelous aim, I must say."

Loki wiped tears from the corners of his eyes as he and his brother roared with laughter. "Is that so? What are the odds?" From the gleam in his elder brother's eyes, he knew there was more to this story.

"About as likely as having a lovely young kendermaiden just happen to catch sight of me and pay a compliment to my choice of undergarment fashion," Firespice concluded smugly.

Loki had finally caught his breath after a few minutes of good, soul cleansing laughter. He smiled fondly at Firespice and declared, "It's good to be half gods." To his surprise, Firespice glanced around with uncharacteristic concern, and shifted uneasily on his feet.

"I don't feel different than any other mortal," he scoffed.

"Other mortals can't perform miracles with their siblings," Loki pointed out. Firespice squirmed uncomfortably. He didn't like speaking about their gift, especially not with Loki. He sometimes felt his baby brother was far too clever and wise for his own good, and that his stay with the elves had done nothing to help that.

"Speaking of siblings," Firespice muttered, seeking to shift the topic. "How fairs Crentha and her new husband? Perin you wrote, right?"

"We are hoping you would come see for yourself," Loki put in earnestly, even as Firespice slung an arm around his shoulders and steered him off to the guest quarters. The elder sighed – it was a sorely tempting offer.

"I have my duty here," Firespice mumbled. He became quite startled indeed when he received a sharp rap on the head from Loki's flute that had seemed to appear out of nowhere. Knowing Loki, he probably had it stashed up a pocket in his sleeve.

"What kind of kender are you?" Loki chasticed. Firespice grinned sheepishly, rubbing the top of his head and wondering how a flute could raise a sore bump. "When did you add 'duty' to your vocabulary?" The elder brother felt quite stupid being given a lesson in kender ethics by Loki.

"Fine!" Firespice gave Loki a gentle shove into the room. "We'll leave tonight then." His brother grinned gleefully.

"That's my big brother!" Loki cheered. "I'll even give you time to go kiss all yoru girlfriends goodbye!" Rolling his eyes, but grinning, Firespice shut the door on Loki's face then turned on his heel and headed to his commanding officer's room to go deliver the news. Most likely he'd get a good scolding for taking an impromptu leave of his duties, but as Loki had just said, since when did that ever bother a kender? That in mind, and at the prospect of seeing Crentha again, Firespice put a bit of skip in his step and was already planning what he'd be packing.


	2. Chapter II: Captain Sir General Man!

The captain of the Palanthas Guard groaned inwardly when the door to this office cracked open. He was just getting ready to go to his personal quarters to retire for the night, and didn't expect nor want any problems to deal with at this late hour. He'd already put his time in for the day, in his opinion, and his eyesight was getting fuzzy and strained from staring at the endless tide of papers and reports that flooded in increasingly everyday. He made a show of being absorbed in some of the said reports, his head bowed over the paper in his hand, as he glanced at the shadow on the floor. Years and years in the office, not to mention a sharp eye for detail, had taught the veteran captain to recognize the shape of shadows to the person they belong to. This time he didn't have to try too hard to figure it out. Noting its unusual shortness and the unique shape of a topknot, Captain Mills nearly groaned aloud this time. Knowing his attempts to rebuff a conversation at this time would go unnoticed by the very blunt kender, he pushed the report – ironically the kender count by the jailer today – aside.

"Hullo Captain General Sir," Firespice called out cheerfully. When he'd been first recruited, he was told to call all higher ranking officers by rank. After inquiring as to why, they informed him that it was a mark of respect. Not exactly grasping what they meant, he'd taken the advice rather literally. Having great respect for Mills, Firespice quickly took to calling him whatever multitude of ranks came to mind first. Since he'd been the one who vouched to let the kender on board, Mills took the odd form of compliment in stride.

"What do you want, Burrfoot?" Mills sighed wearily, hoping against hope that the kender would catch on that he didn't want to be bothered at the moment. Of course, the subtly was lost on the kender. It would probably take being hit over the head to get the fact to Firespice, and even then, Mills mused, he wondered if it'd work.

Firespice cleared his throat, feet shuffling nervously. Mills hoped desperately that this wasn't a plea for another advance to be forwarded to the jailer as bail payment. "Admiral Captain Mister Mills, as you might know, my brother came to visit me today."

"I heard there was another kender around," Mills conceded, rubbing the stubble on his chin. Though 'heard' was a loose word for all the grumbling, cursing, and complaints that drifted by his office. He didn't like where this was going already.

Firespice smiled and nodded, pleased that, for once, Mills seemed to be one the same page as him. "That's Loki. He brought news of our sister, Crentha. She was recently married."

"Congratulations," Mills remarked boredly, praying that was all the talkative kender had to say. Sometimes Firespice would come by on his off-hours just to have someone to talk to. Since he didn't seem to mind when Mills obviously had stopped paying attention, and the captain felt bad that the kender didn't have anyone close enough to a friend to chatter to, he obliged. However, he somehow felt he wasn't that lucky this time.

"Thanks," Firespice beamed in pride, his grin threatening to stretch his face. "Well, I just wanted to ask if I could have some time off to go visit her and meet my new brother-in-law." Mills frowned hard at him. "Pretty please?"

While Mills had no qualms with soldiers going to visit kin during peacetime occasionally, he knew that kender were another matter entirely. If he wasn't careful, Firespice could be gone for years, either having been sidetracked or forgetting to come back entirely. Or the very worse – he would come back with his whole family.

"Let me make a few things clear," Mills growled, quick to shoot down these troublesome consequences. "If I agree, you must come back." The kender shrugged and nodded, looking a tad puzzled as to why Mills would bother stating the obvious. "You must come back in two months." Firespice furrowed his brow, trying to estimate the length of his trip, then nodded again. "And finally, you must come back alone. No family baggage, whether it be sibling parent, auntie, second cousin – I don't care."

"I only have my brother and sister," Firespice replied in a dead-calm tone. The quiet manner in which he said so took some of the fire out of Mills.

"Your parents?" he inquired, remembering clearly the sudden arrival of the winged kendermaiden, and the heroics of Tasslehoff Burrfoot. The somber look Firespice gave him was answer enough. "Gods, I'm sorry Firespice. I didn't know." The kender glanced away uncomfortably.

"So, my trip?"

Mills rubbed the bridge of his nose and sighed heavily, "You can go." Firespice perked right back up and even snapped off a smart salute that made Mills wonder if he would have a bruise there tomorrow.

"Thank you, sir!" Firespice turned to leave, but hesitated and paused at the doorway, a secondary thought suddenly striking him. "Sir?"

"What?" Mills asked irritably.

Firespice licked his lips and glanced around nervously, as if trying to spot someone listening in. "If anyone asks, sir, I was off kissing my girlfriends goodbye."

Mills blinked. "You don't have any, cadet."

Firespice giggled, "I know!" Before Mills could say more, the kender was gone and all he could do was stare blankly at the closed door.


	3. Chapter III: Divinity

When the morning rays of dawn played over Crentha's face, she gave a little start. Wincing, judging by the stiffness in her neck and back, she'd lost herself in prayers again. Unabled to sleep, she'd stolen away in the night to walk around the temple – Perin's temple she considered it, even though he held no high position of power within it. Perin traveled openly, as she did, but this was the place of his origin and so they were staying here while waiting for Loki, and hopefully Firespice, to join up with them before taking to the road again.

Eventually during her wandering, she'd been drawn to this room, as she knew she would be. It was no ornate prayer room, shrine, altar, or anything remotely so holy. It was a quiet, empty room – save for the rugs, a bench, and a mostly empty bookcase – that had a window strategically placed to afford an unobstructed view of the sky if one knelt in direct line of it. At night, one could see most of the constellations. Crentha had been drawn to it immediately upon their arrival and initial tour, and when she had inquired to its use was told that it was a room that penance was given in and sins confessed. This was the third night of her stay in the temple that she'd come to this place, her feet inexplicably beating a path to the room no matter where she started out from. Three times she'd come to kneel before the window and pray to her mother, and by now she was convinced it was no coincidence that kept her returning.

Sighing, the kendermaid rubbed the sleep from her eyes and ruffled her wings. The light of the morning stung her eyes and so she moved into a darker corner to preen and wake up more fully.

"Why do you call to me, Mother?" Crentha murmured while smoothing down the edges of her wings. "Don't you approve of my marriage? Aren't you happy for me?"

"There you are!" The sudden exclamation caused Crentha to jump and jar one of her wings against the wall painfully. Nursing the bruise, she looked up to see Perin sighing in relief and leaning against the doorframe. He was smiling fondly at her, but Crentha had been quick enough to catch a glimpse of the worry and anxiety he'd shown before it melted away. "Tired of my bedside already?" Crentha grinned at him affectionately, rising as if to greet him and instead launching herself into his arms. Perin, having long gotten used to the game that amused Crentha so, caught her easily and held her tightly against him. She snuggled against his chest and nestled into his arms comfortably, filling Perin with the warm glow of her innocence.

"Of course not," Crentha scoffed with a sly smile. She placed a gentle kiss on her husband's forehead. More seriously, Crentha added, "I was called away again." Perin stroked her hair consolingly and fingered her blank medallion of her faith with his free hand.

"Your unnamed goddess again?" Though his voice never gave hint to sarcasm, Crentha felt bad for deceiving him. She had told Perin that she was granted her spells by some unknown goddess that she'd caught the fancy of. In reality, it was probably a mixture of her own innate celestial heritage and the benevolence of her mother that let her perform the divine spells of clerics, but she couldn't tell him that.

Loki had pointed out, and truthfully so, that people hardly believed them the children of a kender war hero; half of those they spoke to didn't believe kender could be any kind of hero! How they would sneer at the claim of half-god kender! And perhaps not just settle on sneering – some religious zealots would perhaps take deadlier action to silence their "blasphemous" claims. Crentha had shrugged that fact away, as did her brother. Neither was too daunted by any menacing prospects, and they were not ashamed of who they were or who their parents were. They quickly found themselves very unwelcome, however, whenever they cheerfully admitted their heritage freely. Getting nowhere quick in their attempts to spread joy, healing, and music, the siblings agreed to keep their true heritage a secret. Crentha managed to even keep the fact from her husband, claiming (as her mother did so long ago) that her wings were a gift at birth from the gods – a true enough claim. Someday soon she'd tell Perin the truth; but there was no point in throwing away a good thing now.

"I don't know what she wants," Crentha admitted, resting her cheek on Perin's shoulder. "Why won't my goddess tell me so that I can do her will?"

"The gods are rarely so blunt," Perin replied mildly. "When you are meant to know, you will know." He smiled at her so radiantly that Crentha couldn't help but feel cheered. "Come, we'll miss breakfast."

"Blasphemy!" Crentha declared light-heartedly, and the priestly couple laughed joyfully, Perin strolling through the marble and stone corridors and carrying his energetic, cheerful wife in his arms with him.

* * *

Loki leaned over Firespice's shoulder as the latter penned a letter, his eyes trying to catch the sentences and make sense of what was taking up precious traveling time. The effort was in vain – Firespice's handwriting was atrocious. 

"Whatcha doin'?" Loki inquired. Firespice shoved the feather end of his quill into Loki's face, causing his younger brother to back off and sneeze loudly.

"Writing a letter," Firespice quipped, satisfied with the space between the brothers and getting back to his work. "Is the word 'fondest' spelled with an 'e' or an 'i'?"

"A 'u' I think," Loki murmured absently, sniffling and stifling a second sneeze. He fell back against Firespice's bed and heaved a bored sigh. "I can see that you're writing, and I use the term loosely. I want to know what you need to write a letter for. C'mon, already, I want to get out on the road!"

"This is important enough," Firespice assured Loki as he blew quickly on the letter to dry the ink before stuffing it unceremoniously into an envelope and sealing it. "Quit your bellyaching, we're going now. We just need to swing by the temple first."

The young bard snatched his belongings and scrambled after Firespice, who was already leaving now that his business was done. When Loki started to pry further and make jokes of love letters, Firespice waved the questions and teasings away with a hand and said no more. On arrival, the two kender were treated with polite respect from a surprising new addition to the temple staff.

"Blessings on you today," a young priest greeted. He was a wide eyed, beaming young kender – younger than Firespice and not much older than Loki.

The Burrfoots nodded politely in turn as Firespice inquired on two particular priestesses.

"Fianna and Cynda?" the priest echoed. "The kender high priestesses? What do you want them for?"

"We've a letter to leave with them," Firespice answered, showing it off with a flourish of his hand.

"They're probably busy," the acolyte pointed out. "I'll do my best to fetch them, but your best bet is to just give me the letter. I promise to deliver it to them safely."

"Tell them that Firespice Burrfoot wants to deliver his letter personally before he goes away for a while." The priest's eyes widened further, and Firespice was surprised to not see them fall out of the lad's head.

"Burrfoot?" he whispered in reverant tones. "Are you, by chance, related to Crentha Burrfoot, the traveling priestess?"

"She's our sister," Loki confirmed. "Have you seen her recently?"

The young kender started to hop in place, unable to contain his excitement and squirming as though he would burst. "She inspired me to be a priest! I saw her in Kalaman during my wandering. She sang for the people there, healed a few banged up folks, told stories, and spoke inspiring words to the people." He sighed happily and his eyes took on a dreamy expression. "The stories were marvelous! She told me how she traveled to Solamnia in search of her faith. I made a similar pilgrimage to Palanthas and now I'm a member of the church. Ah, and she was so beautiful. Long hair, gleaming dusky white wings…"

"Careful, that's my sister you're talking about," Firespice warned in laughing tones, greatly amused.

A feminine voice cut in from behind the novitiate, "Thatch, are you talking the guests to death again?" Cynda approached and lay a hand on Thatch's shoulder, who nearly jumped out of his skin, startled.

"They look plenty alive to me," Thatch protested. "Unless they're really lich in disguise! Or zombies!" He paused and looked at the Burrfoot brothers more closely, eyes peering as if to catch some heretofore unseen characteristic. "Are you zombies?"

"If I'm a zombie, I would someone would have told me sooner," Firespice answered rather somberly.

"I'd like to be a vampire," Loki quipped cheerfully. "They can fly, right?"

Firespice eyed his younger brother strangely and asked, "Do you really want to go sucking people's blood though?" The sour look on Loki's face confirmed his answer.

"Firespice, it's so good to see you child," Cynda crooned, gathering the blushing kender into his arms and placing a kiss on his forehead.

Loki chuckled, "Why brother, I didn't know you were into older women." Only his quick reflexes saved him from getting the forked end of a hoopak in his face.

"Brother?" Cynda repeated and looked from Loki to Firespice quizzically. "Why yes, now that you mention it, I do see a bit of resemblance."

"Meet Loki," Firespice introduced. "The famed kender bard, fresh from his tour of Qualinesti, and my little brother. I've told you about him before."

"Nothing good probably," Loki giggled, kissing the back of Cynda's hand, which only served to send her into a fit of giggles herself.

"A pleasure to meet you," Cynda greeted sincerely. "I'm Cynda Clasphands. My, though, you do look far more like your mother. Firespice is a splitting image of his father, but you do have his eyes." Amidst the exchange, Thatch continued to look back and forth between the Burrfoots, awe in his eyes. "What is this about needing to give me a letter?"

"I wasn't sure if I would have time to write you on the road," Firespice explained. "So I wrote a letter ahead of time. Don't read it right away." He smiled and placed the crumpled envelope in Cynda's hands.

"Where are you going?" Cynda inquired, taking up the pensive motherly look.

Loki cleared his throat and spoke up, "We're going to see my sister and her new husband in Pentar."

"Any blessings to give me before I go?" Firespice asked teasingly. Cynda merely frowned and stroked his topknot with a loving touch.

"Do be careful out there," she pleaded, surprising all the kender boys. "You are a treasure to Seler and to all kender everywhere."

"I'm not afraid of any dangers," Firespice scoffed, and Loki chimed in with a lame 'yeah!'.

"Take me with you!" Thatch blurted suddenly, drawing curious stares from the other three. Blushing, he repeated, "Take me with you, please. I can make sure that you both stay in good health on the trip."

"How noble of you," Loki thanked the boy. "But somehow I think this has less to do with us, and more to do with our sister, whom you seem rather enamored of even though we just admitted that she is wedded already." Thatch was beginning to turn crimson up to his eartips as he scuffed the ground with his toes.

"I really wanna meet her again," he murmured, abashed. The brothers glanced at each other, smiled and shrugged.

"The more the merrier," Firespice consented, and Loki nodded his agreement. Thatch's head snapped up in surprise as he gave a whoop of glee and ran off to gather his things for the road as fast as he could.

"Think this is a mistake?" Firespice murmured out of the corner of his mouth. Loki grinned mischievously and shrugged.

"If worse comes to worse," he drawled. "At least we'll have someone to tell stories to." Firespice grinned back and said his final farewells to Cynda. After Thatch reappeared with his gear in hand, the three kender started on the path that would take them to Pentar and Crentha.


	4. Chapter IV: Double Life

Perin paused in one corridor, wondering if he'd heard a whisper somewhere from the shadows. Behind one of the columns perhaps? Or was his imagination simply getting the better of him?

"Perin…"

Crentha tilted her head slightly towards where Perin had thought the whisper originated, her keen kender ears picking out the quiet murmur. "I think someone is calling for you?" Agreeing completely, pleased that he wasn't hearing things, Perin set Crentha down and searched for the source of the call. One of the other priests of the temple, an elderly bishop with a long, chiseled face, stepped forth and made himself known. The sudden appearance elicited a delighted squeak from Crentha, who wanted to know how he was able to manifest so suddenly, but the priest merely ignored her excited chatter.

"Over here, Perin," he sighed. "I need a word with you." Catching Perin looking rather reluctant to do so, for Crentha was already tugging on his sleeve and reminding him pointedly of their waiting breakfast, he added, "It is very important. You should send the little one away."

Crentha beamed at the older man and bobbed in a curtsey, temple protocol suddenly remembered. "A pleasure to see you too, Bishop Achello!" He frowned very pointedly at her, but it went unnoticed. "Blessings on you this day!"

Noticing the Bishop's eye twitch ever so faintly, Perin quickly led his wife away with a gentle push against her back. He leaned over and whispered into her ear, "You go on ahead of me, dear, before the food is all gone. Save me a plate as well."

With laughter in her eyes, Crentha flapped her wings nad leapt up, hovering long enough to give Perin a parting kiss before she landed again and hurried toward the tempting smells of eggs and ham. Perin's eyes followed her away, a happy smile fixed on his face.

"You are insane to marry a kender," the Bishop muttered sourly.

Perin's dreamy expression lingered a moment longer before he released it with a sigh. "Her innocence and purity are enchanting. I'm drawn to such things – isn't that why I joined the Brotherhood?"

"Kender generally do not run around with wings," Achello growled, his impatience growing. "I feel she is anything but 'pure'. If she is a half-celestial-"

Perin interrupted with an angry glare and a sharp retort. "She assured me that her parents were kender. Her wings, as she puts it, are a god-gift. I know she would not lie to me; I can feel it in my core that what she says is true, and she's not only pureblood but god loved as well. What reason would she have to lie anyway? She knows nothing of the Brotherhood of the Pure Spirit."

Achello paused, a mask of patience that he'd long gotten used to wearing when speaking with the passionate priest, until he was confident that Perin would not interrupt again. "If she is half-celestial, then you know your duty. If not – then you are simply a great fool."

"A lucky, happy fool," Perin countered defensively. "You didn't seek me out to berate me for falling in love with a beautiful woman, did you Bishop?"

"No, I didn't, Achello sighed. "Do you recall the name of an elven bard that liked to travel through these parts a while back ago?"

Perin searched his memory, idly scratching his head in thought, before answering, "Farolah? Faro, most called him if my memory serves me well."

Achello nodded affirmation and went on, "In the local area, there is a pretty young woman called Delora. She was widowed when her husband died during the last war. Insectoids got him, I'd heard. He was a good man too – a farmer with a big heart."

Perin winced in sympathy, muttering, "The poor girl." Achello steepled his fingers and took on a very condescending look.

"Apparently the bared shared your sentiment, at least for a time," he muttered. "He took her with him for a short while as he traveled on to other places."

Closing his eyes, Perin drew a deep breath and then let it go in a sigh. "I don't like where this is going at all. I hope I'm wrong."

"I'm afraid you are correct in your assumptions," Achello said, his voice dropping to low tones. "Delora came back, alone and heartbroken – but more importantly, with child."

"And it was born recently," Perin surmised. When Achello nodded somberly, Perin groaned softly. "The poor woman."

"She made this decision," Achello reminded the younger priest, falling back on an old argument – and creed. "Anyone with good sense knows that the races shouldn't mix; however, people still make foolish decisions, and for a variety of reasons. Some are good, some are bad. It's up to the Brotherhood to correct when these poor choices are made." He paused and regarded Perin with a look when the young man did not lose his uncertain air. "Do you, who claims to love the innocent and pure, want impure half-breeds running around and polluting the world?"

"No," Perin muttered.

The Bishop pressed on, "Do you want our perfect races, all of them, spoiled with crossbreeding until there are no traces of any of our kinds left?"

"No!" Perin snapped, angry at the Bishop, himself, and the stupid girl who had let herself grow too loose around a smarmy elf. "Just tell me when we act."

The Bishop frowned and glanced around in alarm, growling, "Keep your voice down! Tonight, we'll initiate the cleansing."

"My wife-"

"Your wife," Achello interrupted, "Will probably never know – she's taken to disappearing from you in the night anyway, or so I hear. And if she does find out, she had better accept the idea or keep her mouth shut. Your life does not stop because you've taken a wife, Perin. You were warned about family ties when you joined us."

Perin conceded the point with a weary nod. "But the mother? Please, Bishop, be merciful. The babe I understand, but her too?"

For once, Achello smiled. "I am willing to make an exception. The girl was young, distraught, and confused. It's not her fault she fell for the charms of a suave elven bard. So long as she does not learn more than she should, she will remain unharmed."

Perin visibly relaxed as some of the tension melted away between the two priests. "Thank you, Bishop Achello. You are most kind."

"One more thing, Perin." The young priest paused and looked inquiringly at the Bishop. "If you ever have children with that… winged thing, I will personally be the one to snap their necks. If there's anything worse than a half-elf, it's a half-kender."

The two holy men locked gazes, glaring, though Perin did not speak a word of defense. He was the first to look away, and when he looked back, Bishop Achello was already gone.


End file.
